Cheetah conservation in Namibia
| country: | Namibia |
| departures: | 2009: 29 Nov 2010: 31 Jan, 21 Feb, 14 Mar, 25 Apr, 16 May, 6 Jun, 20 Jun, 18 Jul, 1 Aug, 5 Sep, 10 Oct, 7 Nov, 28 Nov |
| price: | From £1795 (15 days) excluding flights. We can help arrange flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Namibia is home to the world's largest remaining cheetah population. Investigate the ecology of the cheetah and help in mediating the threats in Northern Namibia - habitat loss, a reduced gene pool, competition with larger predators like lions and hyenas, and conflict with pastoralists outside reserves.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has been collecting essential data on cheetah behaviour and ecology and working with Namibia's farmers to change attitudes towards cheetahs. This project is saving the cheetah from local extinction, and needs your help assessing the status of the cheetah's ecosystem by counting wildlife and analyzing vegetation. Through a pioneering project, your data will help managers plan for the cheetah's long-term conservation.
You will be based at Eland's Joy, a 15,000-hectare working farm and the headquarters for CCF. Participating in wildlife surveys, feeding and caring for captive cheetahs on-site, and data entry are the primary tasks. You will assist with biomedical collections on wild cheetahs, if these are captured during your visit. Additional duties may include assisting in the day-to-day operations of the farm or spreading the word about cheetah conservation among local farmers and schoolchildren.
At Eland's Joy, you'll stay in two-person bungalows with sinks and beds with mosquito nets. Enjoy your meals in a shady, thatched-roof pavilion with the Namibian bush as your view.
7:00 am: Breakfast
8:00 am: Workday begins – data gathering, working with abandoned cheetahs, wildlife surveys
1:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Workday continues, often with individually assigned projects
5:00 pm: Evening game count
Sunset: Dinner and review of day’s work, schedule of next day’s work (time varies)
8:00 pm: Possible night game count or recreational time
The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has been collecting essential data on cheetah behaviour and ecology and working with Namibia's farmers to change attitudes towards cheetahs. This project is saving the cheetah from local extinction, and needs your help assessing the status of the cheetah's ecosystem by counting wildlife and analyzing vegetation. Through a pioneering project, your data will help managers plan for the cheetah's long-term conservation.
You will be based at Eland's Joy, a 15,000-hectare working farm and the headquarters for CCF. Participating in wildlife surveys, feeding and caring for captive cheetahs on-site, and data entry are the primary tasks. You will assist with biomedical collections on wild cheetahs, if these are captured during your visit. Additional duties may include assisting in the day-to-day operations of the farm or spreading the word about cheetah conservation among local farmers and schoolchildren.
At Eland's Joy, you'll stay in two-person bungalows with sinks and beds with mosquito nets. Enjoy your meals in a shady, thatched-roof pavilion with the Namibian bush as your view.
a day in a life of a volunteer
Despite the best planning, schedules can and do fluctuate due to weather and unforeseen circumstances such as cheetah pickups. Your cooperation and understanding are appreciated. The following is an example of a typical day. 7:00 am: Breakfast
8:00 am: Workday begins – data gathering, working with abandoned cheetahs, wildlife surveys
1:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Workday continues, often with individually assigned projects
5:00 pm: Evening game count
Sunset: Dinner and review of day’s work, schedule of next day’s work (time varies)
8:00 pm: Possible night game count or recreational time
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This project is developing a habitat improvement program that is ecologically sound and economically viable. Farming and tourism remain the backbone of the national economy, and have a direct impact on the livelihoods of the nation. The majority of Africa’s cheetahs are found outside of protected areas, surviving on agricultural lands and often in conflict with human and livestock interests. The results of this ongoing and vital research are creating awareness of the cheetah’s plight and promoting alternative methods of livestock-predator management with better outcomes for all.
There is an environmental policy for this expedition and sustainable practices are implemented wherever possible. These include addressing issues of resources, waste, water, energy, biodiversity, together with adhering to ‘leave no trace’ principles. This project employs local people and supports the local economy. We are a not-for-profit international environmental organisation committed to conserving the diversity of life on earth and the world’s natural resources in order to meet the needs of current and future generations. On any one of our many projects around the world you are certainly not a tourist. You will be working as a field assistant helping world renowned scientists on real environmental projects, and learning about conservation issues. We give people the knowledge and the motivation to do something positive towards helping the environment, regardless of experience and background. The data that you will help to collect will be used to inform conservation decision makers around the world. Since 1971 our research has led to: We are aware that many people travel to their project by air and recognise the impact of this on the environment. In an effort to minimise this, we have teamed up with an organisation that offsets emissions from your flights by funding renewable energy, energy efficient and forest restoration projects around the world. As an environmental organisation we recognise that our day-to-day operations have an impact on the local, regional and global environment. We have an environmental policy which outlines our commitment to continuous improvements in our environmental performance. We have developed an Environmental Management System based on the guidelines and standards set out in ISO14001 and the Global Reporting Initiative, in order to measure our performance against agreed targets to deliver our environmental policy. These include: paper usage, recycling, responsible travel, carbon offsetting, green energy providers and many more environmental and social principles that form a continuous thread throughout our whole operations. Main image courtesy of Claire Hurren |
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